Wicked Witch Cupcakes

I’m melting, I’m melting…yes in her honor at this Halloween time of year we create a cupcake to entertain children and adults alike, let me introduce The Wicked Witch Cupcakes!

We found this idea from Martha Stewart as one of her many Halloween treats to make with children. Lua and I browsed through the list and these were the ones Lua choose. It was another good opportunity to practice my gluten and dairy-free baking skills.

The cakes were yummy and chocolaty, although they didn’t rise up to that beautiful cupcake shape. I used the recipe on line and made flour and fat substitutions. The batter became very runny after adding the boiling water, but I noticed that the cupcakes whose batter I refrigerated for a couple of hours did rise more than the first batch. It is a very moist, great tasting cake, it just didn’t rise to the occasion. I did not use any starch powders, so that could have been the issue, or it may have needed more baking powder.

The best part of the project was watching the children decorate them. Here is one of Ella’s creations. Lua’s never ended up actually being assembled, as she ate all of the bits up as fast as she could, first the M&M’s then the ice cream cone, then the actual cake. That really puts things into perspective – it really is the journey, not the destination. Such is true in my gluten-free baking, deep breath, ahhhh!

And the frosting, well the girls enjoyed it, but was not at all Martha standard and a skill that I would like to fine tune. I will include the recipe that they list on the website, let me know if you have better luck! Although, I must say, the soft frosting made for a very appropriate melting effect! The recipe called for candy corn, but we couldn’t find candy corn here in London, so Mariah found these great carrots made out of white chocolate that worked like a charm and were a hit amongst the girls. So use what ever candy you can find, get creative!

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat together coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients and rice milk in three batches starting and ending with dry ingredients. Add boiling water and mix to combine. Divide batter among the 12 cupcake liners. And bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make frosting: beat coconut oil with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Shut off mixer and add all of the powdered sugar and slowly mix to combine, then add the rest of the ingredients. If the frosting is too stiff add a bit more milk. I think this is where I went wrong, I added too much milk too fast. So literally go 1 teaspoon at a time.